The present invention relates to an image forming device, such as a digital composite machine (digital copying machine) or the like, which provides a plurality of image input modes including a copy mode, a facsimile mode, and a printer mode and is equipped with recording material supply means for supplying recording materials of a plurality of types so that image information inputted in respective image input modes is recorded on the recording materials. More specifically, the present invention relates to the foregoing image forming device which is further arranged so as to be capable of keeping information of recording materials such as sizes and characteristics thereof under control so that a recording material suitable to the image input mode, whichever the input mode is, is selected as the recording material on which image information is to be recorded.
A conventional image forming device, for example, a digital copying machine, provides various input/output modes including a copy mode, a printer mode, a facsimile mode, and the like. In the copy mode, one selected from among various image processing functions is carried out with respect to an image of an original supplied from a scanner section, and an image obtained by the image processing is outputted from a printer section. In the printer mode, image information transferred from an external image information processing device (personal computer or the like) so as to be outputted is outputted from the printer section. In the facsimile mode, an image transmitted from an external facsimile machine which is connected thereto through communication lines is expanded and outputted as an image by the printer section.
Regarding such a digital copying machine, there has been known such a digital copying machine as arranged so that, in order that image information inputted in any input mode can be recorded for reproduction, the copying machine stores in its paper feed section recording materials having various characteristics suitable to the respective input modes, and a display device thereof displays the characteristics and sizes of the recording materials stored in the paper feed section. Such a display device is disclosed by the Japanese Publication for Laid-Open Utility Model Application No. 73751/1988 (Jitsukaisho 63-73751).
According to the foregoing publication, information sources (for example, shielding plates) placed in a feed cassette, which are set in accordance with paper characteristics of copy paper, are detected by two w sensors, and the material of the copy paper stored w therein, for example, whether the copy paper is plane paper or groundwood paper, are judged on the basis of the detection results. The judgement results, together with the paper size of the copy paper, are displayed as copy paper information on a display panel of the copying machine.
As described above, since the display device of the copying machine disclosed in the foregoing Jitsukaisho 63-73751 is arranged so that judgment results of the material of the copy paper, together with the size of the copy paper, is displayed on the display panel of the copying machine as copy paper information, a user is allowed to select paper by ascertaining the copy paper size and information displayed on the display panel. Therefore, the user can confirm types of paper, such as plain paper, groundwood paper, and intermediate paper by seeing the display panel, and hence, does not have to take a look at paper per se stored in the feed cassette with the eye. Thus, the foregoing device is effective in the aspect that the user can easily select appropriate paper.
However, a copying machine equipped with such a display panel (input device, display device) as disclosed in the foregoing publication has drawbacks in that it does not always have displayed contents easily understood, and in that it does not always have good operability.
To be more specific, as described above, recently has been commercialized a digital copying machine providing not only the copy mode for functioning as a normal copying machine, but also an image input/output mode (input/output function), for example, the printer mode, and the facsimile mode, in which an image transferred from an external image information generating device (image information processing device) such as a personal computer or a facsimile machine is recorded for reproduction.
Such a digital copying machine is arranged so that a plurality of types of recording paper with various characteristics (paper characteristics) suitable to respective image input modes are prepared in a plurality of paper feed sections inside the copying machine, and in some image input mode, there have arise such problems as that image information is recorded on recording paper which is not suitable to recording the information, and as that it cannot be easily ascertained whether or not the recording paper prepared in the paper feed sections is suitable to the image input mode selected.
In the case where a composite machine (digital copying machine) is used as a printer particularly, recording paper of common use (plain paper) as well as specific recording materials with various characteristics such as cardboard, envelope, label sheets, paper with logomarks, and paper in various types of formats are to be prepared in paper feed sections (paper feed trays).
In the copy mode or the facsimile mode, in the case where special paper which is in an appropriate size but has different characteristics from usual standard recording paper is set in the tray of one of the paper feed sections, selection of the paper feed section is not carried out based on information about the recording paper, although the information can be checked on the selection screen. Therefore, such a trouble as follows occurs: in the case where the operator makes an error during the operation, images are recorded on special types of recording paper unsuitable to copy or facsimile.
An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming device capable of providing a plurality of image input modes, such as a composite machine (digital copying machine) capable of functioning as a copying machine, a facsimile machine, and a printer, which is characterized in that input images are recorded for reproduction on recording materials suitable for the image input mode selected.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming device which is the foregoing composite machine further characterized by being capable of selecting recording materials suitable for the input modes, respectively, and at every mode setting, displaying and selecting information of recording materials suitable for the set mode.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an image forming device capable of setting display information regarding recording materials in advance and controlling displayed information, so that image information is recorded on suitable recording materials in any input mode.
To achieve the aforementioned objects, an image forming device of the present invention is characterized by including (1) a plurality of image input sections for inputting image information, the image input sections inputting image information in different forms, respectively, (2) recording material supply sections for supplying recording materials of a plurality of types, (3) a recording material information display section for displaying information regarding recording materials which are ready to be fed from the recording material supply sections, (4) an input selecting section for selecting one image input section from among the plural image input sections, (5) a recording material selecting section for selecting one recording material on which image information is to be recorded, from among the recording materials the information of which is displayed by the recording material information display section, (6) a recording section for recording image information inputted by the image input section selected, onto the recording material selected by the recording material selecting section, and (7) a control section for determining information regarding the recording materials to be displayed by the recording material information display section, depending on the image input section selected.
With the foregoing arrangement, since there is provided the control section for determining information regarding the recording materials to be displayed by the recording material information display section depending on the image input section selected, display of information regarding recording materials is carried out in an appropriate manner depending on the image input section. Accordingly, the information regarding the recording materials corresponding to the image input section is surely conveyed to the user. Therefore, the user is allowed to select the recording material on which images are to be formed, by ascertaining the information regarding the recording materials corresponding to the image input section. As a result, such an error that a recording material unsuitable for the image input section selected is erroneously selected by the user and images are recorded thereon can be avoided.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the foregoing control section, by, for example, making only information regarding recording materials suitable for recording inputted image information be displayed on the recording material information display section, controls the recording material selecting section so that the recording materials suitable for recording the inputted image information are available for selection by the recording material selecting section.
With the foregoing arrangement, in the case where recording materials with various characteristics are prepared in the recording material supply sections in a state ready for feed, they become not available for selection. Therefore, such an error that a recording material unsuitable for the image input section selected is erroneously selected by the user and images are recorded thereon can be surely avoided.
To achieve the aforementioned objects, another image forming device of the present invention is an image forming device, which is functional in a plurality of image input modes in which image information is inputted in different forms, respectively, and is characterized by including (1) an input selecting section for selecting one image input mode from among the plural image input modes, (2) recording material supply sections for supplying recording materials of a plurality of types for recording image information, (3) a recording material selecting section for selecting a recording material to be supplied by the recording material supply sections, (4) a recording section for recording image information inputted in the image input mode selected by the input selecting section, onto the recording material selected by the recording material selecting section, and (5) a control section for controlling the recording material selecting section so that only recording materials suitable for the image input mode selected are available for selection.
With the foregoing arrangement wherein there is provided the control section which controls so that only recording materials suitable for the image input mode selected are available for selection, in the case where recording materials with various characteristics are prepared in the recording material supply sections in a state ready for feed, they become not available for selection. Therefore, such an error that a recording material unsuitable for the image input mode selected is erroneously selected by the user can be surely avoided.
For a fuller understanding of the nature and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the ensuing detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.